Why do I go thru the expense of OFA certified health testing on the parents?? Because you are looking for the healthiest, happiest, humanely raised puppy. A new family member? Maybe you are looking for a home protector? The German Shepherd can and will provide you with both. I want you to have just that ... the healthiest I and mother nature can provide. By health testing, I can help to eliminate or suppress any genetic disorders that persist in the breed. I will not breed a dog or bitch that have been tested and show positive results for genetic defects. We can't control mother nature, but we can help her along to prevent genetic disease from happening. Why would you purchase a puppy from parents that are not health tested?
A Puppies Growth Pattern
I start my puppies journey through life with Carmen Battaglia's Early Neurological Stimulation. This gentle handling process takes 2 weeks. It takes place while the puppy is nursing with it's mother. The next step is human interaction of the puppy. This includes vaccinations, worming, ear cleaning and playtime. The third step is the beginning of socialization. Socialization is not completed by the breeder. It is a life long learning situation. After all, you did not complete college by the time you were 4 months old. During this phase, the puppy will come when called, follow me around and enjoy human interaction. If a puppy is still with us after 10 weeks of age, we will start walking without a lead, walking on a lead and basic commands. I must emphasize that obedience training is a must for large breed dogs. You must put forth the time and effort to properly train you new dog. From our experience, the only reason a puppy comes back, is because the new owners neglected to properly train the dog in a timely fashion. Not properly training your dog is not good for the dog, the family or society. I never want one of our pups to be placed in a rescue or shelter. I will always take back any puppy. Please be advised that your puppy needs to have all it's vaccinations completed BEFORE going to dog parks. Dog parks are a great idea, but they are also the most dangerous place to take your dog. You can and probably will pick up fleas, mites, coccidia, giardia, worms and a host of other bad things from the environment and other dogs. Take precautions to prevent this from happening to you. Please be sure to vaccinate your pup against the new canine flu that was brought into the USA.